Covariation of tinnitus pitch and the associated emission: a case study.

Abstract

Tinnitus in one female subject was found to be related to numerous (as many as 21) bilateral spontaneous otoacoustic emissions. The association of tinnitus and spontaneous otoacoustic emissions was empirically supported by the masking/suppression demonstration. The subject reported that her tinnitus occurred primarily in her right ear, which had linked, quasi-stable spontaneous otoacoustic emissions not found contralaterally. During one menstrual cycle, a pure tone was adjusted to match the predominant tinnitus pitch. The frequency of the tone generally followed the day-to-day shifts in the frequency of the associated spontaneous otoacoustic emission. The frequencies of these tones were a local minimum near the onset of menstruation, reaching a local maximum after menstruation.